Influencer Tanner Martin Announces His Own Passing in Posthumous Video

The 30-year-old, who had been battling colon cancer for five years, sadly succumbed to the disease. His wife shared a pre-recorded video of him announcing his death.

Tanner Martin, a beloved internet personality who shared his cancer journey with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, has died.

Fans of the influencer learned of his passing on Thursday, June 26, when a video was posted to his and his wife Shay Martin's joint Instagram account. "Hey, it's me Tanner, if you're watching this, I am dead," Tanner began in the video. "I had a heck of a life."

He explained that he decided he wanted to make a video announcing his death after he saw someone do the same "a year or so ago."

"And I think it's a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out and also you can be thoughtful about what your spouse or your partner may need," he said.

Tanner continued, saying he made the video because he expected Shay would need time to grieve and take however long of a break she might need from social media. Therefore, the video would mark the beginning of her presumed hiatus.

The girl dad — who welcomed his daughter, AmyLou (a.k.a Jiaozi), on May 15 — also expressed his gratitude for the love and support he received from his followers throughout his health battles.

He also spoke about his anticipation about the afterlife. "Death is scary but it's also a new adventure. I'm kinda excited about it a little bit. But not in a like I want to kill myself or anything, I'm excited to see what the experience is like. Hopefully it's good," he said.

"I love you guys and seriously thanks again for all your support and helping to make the last few years of my life fun and enjoyable and helping me be comfortable," he shared.

Following his passing, Shay posted another video where Tanner expressed his final wish. In the clip, he can be seen sitting in a living room covered with a blanket, with his baby daughter laying next to him.

"I just wanted to ask you guys if you would help me raise Jiaozi," Tanner said. "We're gonna start a GoFundMe and the GoFundMe is to help replace what I would be there for."

They initially set a goal of $250,000 with a detailed breakdown of how the funds would be allocated. The goal has since been raised to $750,000 and, as of this writing, they have collected $799, 769.